Women collectors in nine of 14 districts in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nine out of 14 districts in Kerala now have women as collectors. With the appointment of Afsana Parveen as the Kollam Collector, the number of women collectors became nine. The second Pinarayi government on July 19 appointed women collectors in eight districts.

Afsana will replace Abdul Nasser as Kollam Collector as he takes charge as the Director of the Employment Guarantee Mission. When Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla was made the director of the Women and Child Welfare department, A Geetha came in her place.

Women also govern in the districts on either ends of Kerala. In Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Navjot Khosa and in Kasargod, Bhandari Swagath Raveer Chand are the collectors.

Other women collectors

Dr. Divya S Iyer (Pathanamthitta), Dr. PK Jayasree (Kottayam), Sheeba George (Idukki), Haritha V Kumar (Thrissur), Mrinmayi Joshi (Palakkad)

Husband and wife in two districts

Afsana Parveen will be the Collector in Kollam from the position of District Development Commissioner in the Ernakulam Collectorate with her husband Jafar Malik at the helm. The couple now controls two districts 150 kilometers apart.

Afsana came to the Collectorate a year before Jafar Malik became the Collector of Ernakulam. Jafar Malik became the Collector while he was the Development Commissioner. Afsana took over the additional responsibility of the Smart Mission when her husband became the Collector from the position of CEO of Cochin Smart Mission Limited. She also had the responsibility of the Metropolitan Transport Authority. After living in Kakkanad for a year, they will have to move to Kollam and Ernakulam.